Mike Conner resigned Wednesday after six years as the head basketball coach at Lyman Hall High School.
Conner, 31 has been the interim principal at Augusta Troup Middle School since the end of February. The interim tag will be removed in time for the start of the next school year.
"It's emotional. To watch something blossom into something pretty good, it is hard to walk away," Conner said. "But it is time to walk away professionally. It's not an opportunity I can say no to."
Lyman Hall made the Class L state tournament five times times and reached the semifinals three times, including last season when the Trojans went 19-6. The Trojans reached the L final in 2008 and also won a pair of Southern Connecticut Conference Housatonic Division titles.
"The expectations were not to win basketball games or state championships, but to develop kids with high character, humility and integrity," Conner said. "The wins and the state tournament runs were an additional plus. My relationships with the past and current players is more valuable to me than the wins and losses."
Conner, the 2008 Register State Coach of the Year, compiled a 85-58 record.

Benson choose Clark
Brandyn Benson, who helped lead the Career boys' basketball team to its best season in school history, will play next season at Division III Clark University in Worcester, Mass.
Benson, a point guard, averaged 12.6 points for the Panthers, who finished 25-3 and reached the finals of both the Southern Connecticut Conference and Class M state tournaments.